Despite the screams, Tom Cruise's message should be heard
Tom Cruise unleashed his fury and anger on the set of "Mission Impossible 7", after seeing 2 members of his team standing less than a meter away in front of a computer, according to international media. The audio of the incident, although it was private, was recorded and leaked and has caused a furor on social networks.
In the audio, Tom Cruise reminds crew members of the stakes of breaking a social distancing rule on a set. According to Cruise, he is working very hard for the production to follow the rules so that it can continue in a pandemic and set an example by which other teams can operate safely: "We are the gold standard. They are in Hollywood making movies right now!" thanks to us! Because they believe in us and what we're doing! I'm on the phone with all the damn studios at night, the insurance companies, the producers, and they look at us and use us to make their movies. We're creating thousands of jobs. I never want to see it again. Ever. And if they don't do it, they're fired, if I see them doing it again, they leave."
Cruise continues for 3 more minutes, then the recording ends with: "I care about you, but if you're not going to help me, you're leaving. Okay? See that stick? How many meters is that? When people are standing around a computer and walking around, what are you doing?" The explosion is disturbing, most obviously because he is a rich and powerful man who yells profanity at the people who work for him. It's also unsettling because it's about this particular rich man: Tom Cruise has allegedly cursed at his underlings at least once before, and in a situation with fewer risks than the spread of the coronavirus.
Actress Leann Remini in her memoir recalls visiting Cruise at her home and watching him lose his mind over cookie ingredients, yelling at her assistants, “Damn! Can I get the cookie stuff, guys? Get into the present, it's what you have to do "." He's human," Cruise's ex-wife once told People magazine, "sometimes he explodes."
Even Tom Cruise's justification feels self-serving as it doesn't focus on the fact that someone could get sick and die, but rather that his movie could go on hiatus. And, from a biological standpoint, it seems a bit dubious that movies would be in production in the middle of a pandemic; it is not an essential activity. But Cruise is not wrong either. Thanks to the way the pandemic has worked, we currently find ourselves in the dire situation where many people's food and school depend, as Cruise points out, on movies like "Mission: Impossible."
Let's remember that Tom Cruise himself has had to shell out MILLIONS for the production of his film to continue safely because earlier this year it was stopped and delayed. And let's be honest: who wouldn't be angry when people don't follow the measures when you've given so much to keep everything going well? The situation is not good for anyone, but listening to Tom Cruise is a relief for many. At least in Mexico, many people still do not wear face masks, do not respect a healthy distance, even leave the house when it is not necessary. So maybe it was time someone shouted out what many of us have been thinking without acting on it.
